Join our mailing list to receive our free twice-monthly newsletters by email
(unsubscribe with one-click at anytime).
|
|
|
|
|
|
July
Recommendations |
July 18, 2008
|
|
|
|
Hello,
In this issue of BookBrowse Highlights we
invite you to:
- Read in depth reviews of
The Walking Dead by Gerald Seymour,
and
Edward Trencom's Nose by Giles
Milton.
- Browse short histories of
al-Qaeda and cheesemaking.
- Enter to win copies of Away
by Amy Bloom.
- Find out what BookBrowse members think
of the books they've been reading this month
as part of our "First Impressions" program
including:
How Far is the Ocean From Here by Amy
Shearn;
Findings by Mary Ann Evans, and
Sweet Mandarins by Helen Tse.
- Browse this month's book club
recommendation: What
Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn.
- Read an interview with Ma Jian, author
of
Beijing
Coma.
- Enjoy our latest book club chat
and catch up on book related
news.
- And more!
 Best
regards,
Davina Morgan-Witts
Editor, BookBrowse.com
You
are receiving this message because you signed up
at BookBrowse.com's website to receive
occasional messages from BookBrowse, including
our complimentary twice-monthly newsletters. If
you no longer wish to hear from us you can
remove yourself at the bottom of this email.
|
|
BookBrowse Membership:
What you see for free at BookBrowse.com and in this
newsletter is a fraction of what is available to our
members. A subscription is just $29.95 for one
year. Join
today or
give a gift subscription.
BookBrowse for Libraries gives patrons
and librarians access to all that BookBrowse has to
offer, from any computer at anytime.
More information about library
subscriptions here.
|
|
Featured Hardcover Review
Below is part of
BookBrowse's review of The Walking Dead,
reviewed by Kim Kovacs. It is too long to send
in full by email.
Read the complete review here.
The Walking Dead
by Gerald Seymour
Hardcover (May 2008), 320 pages.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN 9781590200056
BookBrowse Rating:
Critics' Consensus:
From the book jacket: A young man starts
a journey from a dusty village in Saudi Arabia.
He believes it will end with his death in
faraway England. For honor, for glory, for
victory. If his mission succeeds, he will go to
his god a martyr - and many innocents will die
with him .....
 Review:
In the hands of a lesser writer, The
Walking Dead could have become a
run-of-the-mill pot-boiler. What makes this
novel noteworthy is Seymour's attention to the
book's underlying themes. He delves into the
question of how young men get into situations
where they willingly risk their lives for their
ideals, drawing parallels between the suicide
bomber and a young volunteer fighting in the
Spanish Civil War seventy years earlier (1936 -
1939). Other sub-texts explored are the efficacy
of intelligence gathering and old-fashioned
detective work, and the roles chance and
coincidence play in events.
The book is well paced, starting slowly and
gradually picking up speed before barreling
through to the end. Parts of the story are
predictable, but some of the plot twists are
truly shocking. Readers are advised to have a
contiguous block of time available for the last
third of the novel; once started, it's difficult
to put down. There are those who may be put off
by the disturbing nature of a few scenes, but
most readers will enjoy this addition to the
genre. This review is
too long to send by email. Keep
reading here.
A Short History of al-Qaeda
The history of the Sunni-Muslim organization
al-Qaeda ("The Base") can be traced to the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
in 1979. Osama bin Laden, a young, wealthy
Islamic idealist from Saudi Arabia, felt
compelled to assist his fellow Muslims in their
struggle against these "infidels." He moved his
factories to Afghanistan, and joined the
resistance group
Maktab al-Khadamat (MAK),
led by
Abdullah Yusuf Azzam.
Together they organized a world-wide recruiting
program which advertised for young Muslims to
fight against the Soviets. The Afghan government
donated land for training bases, while bin Laden
paid for the volunteers' transportation,
facilities and training. He brought in experts
from all over the world on guerilla warfare,
sabotage and covert operations. The United
States government, wishing to limit any further
expansion of the Soviet Union, began a $500
million-per-year program to support the Afghan
guerillas, providing them with both cash and
high-tech weapons. After ten years of intense
fighting, MAK drove the Soviets from
Afghanistan.
As the war was winding down, Azzam and bin Laden
decided not to disband, using their forces
instead to work toward increasing Islam's
influence in government affairs. Azzam felt
their efforts should be focused on Afghanistan,
but bin Laden disagreed, feeling it should be an
international endeavor. In 1988 he split from
MAK to form his own group: al-Qaeda.
This sidebar is too long to send by email.
Keep reading here.
Browse the book
Write your own review
Buy this book at Amazon
Compare prices at AddAll
Read-Alikes:
Incendiary by Chris
Cleave
Osama by Jonathan
Randal
Terrorist by John
Updike
The Lion's Game by
Nelson DeMille
This is one of the 15 detailed
book reviews in our early July issue of
"BookBrowse Recommends". BookBrowse's online
magazines are one of the many benefits of a
BookBrowse
membership.
|
|
Win
Away by Amy Bloom
Published in paperback: Jun 2008
Enter the Giveaway
Discussion Guide
Interview
Excerpt
Buy at Amazon
Compare prices at AddAll
From the Jacket Panoramic in scope, Away
is the epic and intimate story of young Lillian
Leyb, a dangerous innocent, an accidental heroine.
When her family is destroyed in a Russian pogrom,
Lillian comes to America alone, determined to make
her way in a new land. When word comes that her
daughter, Sophie, might still be alive, Lillian
embarks on an odyssey that takes her from the world
of the Yiddish theater on New York's Lower East
Side, to Seattle's Jazz District, and up to Alaska,
along the fabled Telegraph Trail toward Siberia. All
of the qualities readers love in Amy Bloom's work -
her humor and wit, her elegant and irreverent
language, her unflinching understanding of passion
and the human heart - come together in the embrace
of this brilliant novel, which is at once
heartbreaking, romantic, and completely
unforgettable.
Media Reviews
BookBrowse -
Lucia Silva
On a purely formal level, Away is stunning,
and succeeds as a gleaming showcase for Amy Bloom's
considerable talents. However, what makes Away an
up-all-night read is its vitality, the breath that
makes it all come alive. It's a tight story - 235
pages span three years and a cast of characters each
worthy of their own novel; but the focus is clear -
Bloom's spotlight pans where it needs to, and then
stops on a dime, showing you where to look, deep at
the quick of the story, where it pulses with life.
Full Review (members
only, 915 words).
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Bloom has created an extraordinary
range of characters, settings and emotions.
Absolutely stunning.
The New York Times - Janet Maslin
It is accessible to the point of pure enthrallment
without compromising its eloquence or thematic
strength. Yet it is also a classic page-turner, one
that delivers a relentlessly good read.
The San Francisco Chronicle - Helen McAlpin
Bloom's cryptic title doesn't do her book justice,
but there's little else that doesn't work in this
exquisitely unsentimental novel about exile, hope
and love in its various incarnations - maternal,
romantic, sexual, platonic, inconvenient, unruly,
unreasonable, abiding.
The Washington Post - Ron Charles
[W]hat begins as a paean to the immigrant spirit in
a city of millions is ultimately a gasp of wonder at
the persistence of love, even in the remotest spot
on earth. Hang on.
3 people will each win a paperback copy of Away.
This giveaway is open to residents of the USA only,
unless you are a BookBrowse member, in which case
you are eligible to win wherever you might live.
Enter the giveaway here
|
First
Impressions
BookBrowse members have the opportunity to
receive free review copies of books, usually
some months before publication. Here are
some of their first impressions of the books
they've been reading recently ....
How Far Is the Ocean
from Here: A Novel
by Amy Shearn
Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books
Publication Date: 07/22/2008
Novels, 320 pages
Number of reader reviews: 18
Readers' consensus:
"Author Amy Shearn takes readers on a
delightful journey which explores
relationships, family, parenthood, love, and
the unique and strange bonds that connect
people. Readers who appreciate beautiful and
insightful writing as much as a good story
line itself will find a lot to like about
this novel." - Marcia.
 "I
highly recommend this book for book clubs.
There is something about each character that
I could relate to thus making this a book I
couldn't wait to read." - GM.
"I liked the way Ms. Shearn was able to make
me feel like I was right there, with
everyone, instead of reading a book about
them. I also agree that this book would make
an excellent book club selection." - Debi.
"I loved this book! This is a tale of
ambivalence. What makes one a mother? What
is "normal"? Who am I? The setting is
remarkably described; I felt I was truly in
the desert with them. This will make a great
film." - Susan.
"An amazing read, I couldn't put it down and
I was sorry when it ended. Thank you Amy
Shearn for giving us a book that is so
intuitive and that touched my heart." -
Cathy.
Read all the Reviews
Buy at Amazon
Compare prices at AddAll
 Findings:
Faye Longchamp Mysteries, No. 4
by Mary Anna Evans
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: 07/10/2008
Mysteries, 232 pages
Number of reader reviews: 19
Readers' consensus:
"I enjoyed the story which ends on a very
dramatic note, but most interesting was the
island setting. I certainly will purchase
the first three titles." - Jeanne.
"I loved this book. I thought it was the
best mystery I'd read in a long time." -
Randi.
"I am quite surprised by how I was
absolutely smitten with this book." - Linda.
"A very good page turner, so good that I'm
ordering her other three books." - Fred.
"Faye is a wonderfully intelligent character
who you connect with from the beginning." -
Angelina.
"Even though the book is part of a series
and I had not read any of the previous
books, this story stands on it's own. It is
a great mix of mystery and historic fiction
- I will recommend it to my mystery and
history loving friends!" - Barbara.
Read all the Reviews
Buy at Amazon
Compare prices at AddAll
Sweet Mandarin:
The Courageous True Story of Three
Generations of Chinese Women and Their
Journey from East to West
by Helen Tse
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 07/08/2008
Biographies/Memoirs, 288 pages
Number of reader reviews: 18
Readers' consensus:
"This is a highly readable book - you will
have a hard time putting it down." - Nancy.
"Would definitely recommend this book for
book clubs." - Catherine.
"Much of what is passed from one generation
to the next, revolves around the love of
food and cooking. I found it fascinating
reading. It's a good book!" - Kathryn.
"I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It read
like a novel but I had to keep reminding
myself it was a true story. Two thumbs up!"
- Patricia.
"When at last I'd reached The End, I closed
the book feeling so proud of these women I'd
come to know and love. And so inspired." -
Monica.
I found this an easy to read fascinating
look at a very different and very difficult
life." - Dorothy.
Read all the Reviews
Buy at Amazon
Compare prices at AddAll
"First
Impressions" is one of the many benefits of a
BookBrowse membership. Since launching
in August last year, all members who have taken
part have received at least one book, and many
have already received multiple books.
A BookBrowse
membership is just $34.95
$29.95 for one year. Join
here.
|
Book Club
Recommendation
What Was Lost , A Novel by
Catherine O'Flynn
Paperback (Jun 2008).
256 pages.
ISBN-13:9780805088335.
A tender and sharply observant debut novel about
a missing young girl - winner of the Costa First
Novel Award and long-listed for the Booker
Prize, the Orange Prize, and The Guardian First
Book Award
Browse the book
jacket, reviews and an excerpt.
Reading Guide.
Read-Alikes:
Brick Lane by
Monica Ali
Mr. Phillips by
John Lanchester
The Rotter's Club by
Jonathan Coe
|
|
Author Essay
Ma Jian, author of
Beijing Coma
Ma Jian explains his reason for writing
Beijing Coma: "The Tiananmen tragedy was a
defining moment in 20th Century history, but in
China, no one is allowed to discuss it.
Remembering has become a crime. Today, the
Chinese are a people who ask no questions, and
who have no past. They live as in a coma,
blinded by fear and newfound prosperity ...I
wanted to write a book that would bear witness
to recent history and help reclaim a people's
right to remember."
Read the Essay
Browse this Book
The interview and book club recommendation above
were both featured in the June "Interview &
Reading Guide Roundup" for
members.
|
|
Featured Paperback Review
Below is part of BookBrowse's review of
Edward Trencom's Nose.
It is too long to send by email.
Read the complete review here
Edward Trencom's Nose: A Novel of History,
Dark Intrigue, and Cheese
by Giles Milton
Paperback (Jun 2008), 320 pages.
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN 9780312377595
BookBrowse Rating:
Critics' Consensus:
From the book jacket: Situated on
London's Foster Lane, there is a
quintessentially Georgian, redbrick house with a
green door bearing the sign TRENCOMS, 1662. It's
the home of the Trencom family's cheese store, a
generational establishment begun by Humphrey
Trencom that now, 303 years later, is run by
Edward Trencom. Quaint though it may seem, it
bears witness to a strange occurrence of
"accidents" that seem to befall every generation
of the curd-loving family.
Review: Giles Milton marks his fiction
debut with an olfactory shaggy dog story that
meanders happily through three hundred years of
history and ten generations of Trencom males,
who are linked by an uncommonly distinguished
and sensitive nose, a love of cheese, and a
habit of dying early from unnatural causes.
The story opens in 1969 when we meet Edward
Trencom. He is the 10th generation to run the
eponymous emporium considered "the oldest,
finest and most famous cheese shop in London",
and he is happy with his lot in life. Not only
is he the author of the 12-volume
Encyclopaedia of Cheese and head of the Most
Worshipful Company of Cheese Connoisseurs, he's
also the proud possessor of the finest Trencom
nose in generations - a nose that can
distinguish the provenance of a cheese down to
the cow from which it originated, and he's
happily married to Elizabeth, who first came to
his attention because she "had the complexion of
a ripe bethmale cheese, a cheese of which he was
uncommonly fond".
Edward's gently maturing life takes an unsavory
turn when a series of mysterious events lead him
to discover a stash of long buried family papers
that reveal to him the chain of murder and
mayhem that has inflicted his family for nine
generations - events that appear to trace to
Humphrey Trencom's mysterious journey into the
heart of the Ottoman Empire, following the
destruction of the first Trencoms cheese shop in
the 1666 Great Fire of London.
Although comparisons to writers such as P.G.
Wodehouse and Tom Sharpe are apt, Edward
Trencom's Nose is more historical than
satirical. Weaving through three hundred years,
Milton brings a light touch to the imparting of
history with many a happy sidetrack to lovingly
describe the cheeses that populate his tale.
There is no great inner meaning to the novel, no
message of huge significance to impart, just a
jolly historical romp. As the reviewer for The
Guardian newspaper so correctly says, "any old
halfwit can produce 400 pages of stinking high
seriousness, but it takes a real wit to manage
400 pages of mild, fragrant good humour."
This review is too long to send by email.
Keep reading here.
All About Cheese
Since ancient times, inflated animal organs have
proved to be useful storage devices. One theory
is that the process of cheesemaking was
discovered accidentally sometime between 8000
and 3000 BC when milk from one animal was stored
in a container made from the stomach of another,
and rennet in the stomach caused the milk to
separate into curds and whey.
Egyptian tomb murals show cheesemaking dating to
around 2000 BC. It's likely that these cheese
were relatively sour and salty, similar to Greek
feta cheese or cottage cheese. By Roman times,
cheesemaking was a mature art and cheese an
everyday food in most parts of Europe. However,
it was unheard of in ancient oriental cultures,
and in pre-Columbian America (even today, the
majority of Asians and native Americans are
lactose intolerant).
Soft cheese such as Mozarella and Ricotta are
relatively easy to make, with
kits available online to get you started.
Hard cheeses are more challenging. This
sidebar is too long to send by email.
Keep reading here.
Browse the book
Write your own review
Buy this book at Amazon
Compare prices at AddAll
Read-Alikes:
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New
England by Brock Clarke
How To Be Good by Nick Hornby
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
This is one of the 15 detailed book reviews in our
early July issue of "BookBrowse Recommends".
BookBrowse's online magazines are one of the many
benefits of a BookBrowse membership.
|
Book News
Jul 18
2008: Known for her sly, compact poems
that revel in wordplay and internal rhymes, Kay
Ryan has been named the 16th poet laureate of
the...(more)
Jul 18 2008: Independent
bookstores in the USA and their customers are
invited to take part in a unique reading
experience this coming October. Booksellers will
host 24-hour reading marathons in their stores,
designed to highlight the importance of reading
to our culture, as well as create an opportunity
for...(more)
Jul 15 2008: Publishing
News, one of Britain's leading book trade
publications, is to cease publication with
effect July 25. Founded in 1979, the magazine
has been hit by the same problems that have
affected all magazines and newspapers, as
advertisers have shifted increasing proportions
of their spend... (more)
Jul 14 2008: Violence has
driven many of the well educated middle-classes
out of Iraq, but there are some that have stayed
behind, such as Nabil al-Hayawi, whose
Renaissance bookshop has just reopened, having
risen from the ashes a year after a car bomb
killed Hayawi's son and brother and destroyed
the...(more)
Jul 13 2008: The prestigious
Crime Writers' Association awards, known as the
Daggers, have been announced. Winners include
Frances Fyfield - Blood From Stone -
Sphere (Little, Brown),
Dominique Manotti
- Lorraine Connection - EuroCrime
(Arcadia Books) ...(more)
Jul 11
2008: The blogger behind motherreader.com
reports on attending a town meeting at which Obama
spoke and on one particular question of interest to
book lovers:
"A woman asked what Obama would say to young
writers. He was surprised by the question, which he
admitted was one he hadn't heard...(more)
Jul 11 2008: Salman Rushdie's
Midnight's Children has won the Best of the
Booker Award through an online public vote that draw
about 7,800 responses. The Award marks the 40th
anniversary of the Bookers. Fifteen years ago,
Midnight's Children won the Booker of Bookers,
awarded to mark the...(more)
Jul 09 2008: Three international
PEN centers have determined that the climate for
freedom of expression in China has measurably
deteriorated over the past year. Centers in the
U.S., Canada and China released a "report card" one
month before the opening of the Beijing Olympic
Games, titled "Failing to Deliver:...(more)
Jul 09 2008: Guardian blogger
Nicholas Lezard, and a number of readers, react
caustically to the announcement that Jhumpa Lahiri's
Unaccustomed Earth has won the Frank O'Connor
award outright because the judges chose to dispense
with a shortlist (see yesterday's story). Lezard
cites two...(more)
Read these news stories, and many others, in full.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
